Brickset Bouts: Slave I vs Medieval Market Village
Posted by Huw,
This is the third bout in our knockout competition to find the best set released since Brickset was founded 20 years ago.
In this battle, a Star Wars set goes head-to-head with a Castle fan favourite.
Read what Mr_Cross has to say about 75060 Slave I, and bumblepants about 10193 Medieval Market Village after the break, then cast your vote!
If you've not yet voted in the first and second bouts there's still time to do so.
75060 Slave I
Star Wars, I think, is visually pretty much just a sea of lump covered grey triangles and circles.
Boba Fett’s Slave I, the Firespray-31-class patrol and attack craft is an oasis of colour and whacky shapes dropped into that sea. It’s a breath of fresh sea air and kind of does look like a prehistoric sea creature by way of an 80s hairdryer that Toyah might have used to get her hair to stay up that way.
It’s all smooth surfaces and intersecting compound curves. It flies vertically! In short, it’s cool, it rocks! Besides the Millennium Falcon it is my favourite ship in the whole franchise.
LEGO has depicted the ship in this livery a few times, but this iteration is by far the most accurate and intricate. It’s the largest too by quite a margin at 1996 pieces.
Hans Burkhard Schlömer employed some ingenious methods to create the complex shape and what is truly astounding is how sturdy and swooshable this set is. It has some nice play elements, Boba Fett can comfortably sit in the self-righting cockpit, Han in Carbonite can be securely stowed in an appropriate rear cargo area, weapons can be deployed… there is a lot to recommend here.
Dark Green, Dark Red and Light Bluish Grey are faithful to the screen version and are used to great effect, so much so that I never felt the need to apply the stickers!
Furthermore, unlike many of the other UCS sets, its displayed footprint is somewhat more modest. I’ve had this on display a couple of times and it really does draw the eye.
The Empire Strikes back is arguably the best Star Wars movie. Boba Fett is one of the coolest villains in the Star Wars universe and his ship, Slave I is one of the coolest ships in the whole franchise. This version is the very best depiction of the ship that LEGO has made. 75060 is one of the best models in the whole UCS theme, if not the best, and that surely makes it an ideal candidate for your vote.
10193 Medieval Market Village
When the Medieval Market Village first appeared in 2009 it was rather shocking. A 1600 piece Castle set? Fully enclosed buildings with interiors? Six of the eight minifigures are unique peasant characters rather than knights? It was a lot to take in at once.
The level of detail in the design was unlike anything seen before in the official Castle line. With so much activity on display it reminded me of the wondrously large Castle scenes I saw within the #250 Ideas Book I used to pour over as a child.
One of the most clever aspects of the set design was the way the two buildings hinge open. Not only does it provide access to the interior, it allows them to be displayed open-backed creating a much bigger scene. Many smaller details such as the waterwheel activating the blacksmith forge and the family portraits keep things interesting.
Perhaps the most comical detail was the inclusion of a pair of dark brown carrot parts on the floor of the horse stall. Rounding out the set a wide assortment of animals both moulded and brick-built bring the set to life as well as a large assortment of goods to be purchased in the market stalls. Even the tree impressed with its large size and many leaves.
Medieval Market Village broke new ground for Lego by showing themes beyond Creator could get the 12+ treatment. Just three years earlier the Castle line was plagued with uninspired builds that were composed of large, clunky BURPS, wall segments, and absurdly oversized weapon contraptions borrowed from the Bionicle parts bin.
While the Fantasy Era sets began a revival of the Castle theme, the 2009 Medieval Market Village was its crowning achievement and set a standard for the theme that has not been met since. Coming in at only $99.99 USD it was extremely generous in what it offered as well.
Cast your vote!
Having read the above, which of these two sets do you think should go through to the quarter-final for a chance to be crowned "best set of the millennium" ?
The fourth bout will be held in a few hours. Voting for this one will remain open until 8am BST Tuesday morning and I will announce the result shortly after.
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54 comments on this article
Some very tough choices to make here, and very strong arguments on both sides.
One of these sets got me addicted to the perfect colour that is Sand Green.
You could say that I'm now a slave to it.
Medieval Market Village is the GOAT! A massive turning point in the hobby for many AFOLs out there. Can't underestimate its importance and relevance. If LEGO ever gets back to producing AFOL inspired Castle designs, this set is the impetus for that.
75060 wins this hands down for me.
Not that there is anything wrong with MMV but Slave 1 was my first big set when coming out of my Dark Age and it's one of the few sets I'd be happy to build time and again plus it looks awesome on display.
This is a tough one, and will really come down to whether you are a Star Wars fan or not. If you are, you know what to do. Similarly, if you aren't, then MMV has your vote.
If by some chance, there are people "on the fence" about this, I think @bumblepants wrote the best argument so far in favor of the MMV, and I daresay I was almost swayed to vote for it! In the end, however, when it comes to LEGO and I, I would only endorse a set I've owned and played with for some time, and in this case, Star Wars fandom aside, I had to go with UCS Slave I.
I love but don't own the market village. BUT the slave I is the best star wars set ever made. Many will fall in love with the ucs falcon for it's size and details but it's not even close to the league of the slave I. I don't think either should win overall that should belong to the treehouse but slave I is an easy winner here to me. Treehouse is the most unique Lego set to date and I don't think Lego realize just how unique it is as a set. Trees and foliage is a rare commodity in Lego builds from Lego. We have hundreds of ships and buildings and technic sets but this is the only tree that actually looks like a tree I have ever seen from Lego.
MMV 100% , the only set of it's kind this detailed.
It's also one of few modern large Castle sets that are mainly focused on medieval civilian life. (mill village raid being another)
Slave I might be iconic to Star Wars fans, but I don't see it as a set that defines the LEGO brand, also there have been at least 7 other minifigure scaled Slave-I , while this is the biggest/detailed one, still is a repeated subject matter.
The 2019 (second largest) 20th Anniversary Slave I is still being sold , unlike anything even comparable to MMV.
2018 had another smaller Slave I with Cloud City, which only recently retired less then 2 weeks ago. (Europe)
I do hope the recently approved IDEAS Medieval Blacksmith will cause some revival.
Originally I had planned on voting for MMV but honestly looking at now it doesn't do much for me. I remember thinking it was pretty cool when it came out, but now it just looks a little too simple for my taste.
I vote for a sea of lump covered grey triangles and circles.
MMV is the MVP
i'm a big SW fan but MMV has cows, so gets the win!
I love the slave I but I had to go with medieval market village
Medieval Market for sure!
Slave 1 is awesome!
I'm sure MMV is pretty great too, but it came out during my dark age so I'll never have it. I'm sure it's excellent, but I don't know how excellent firsthand.
I have neither but MMV came out during my dark ages and I would’ve gotten it so it gets my vote.
No contest for me here, MMV blew me away when it came out, and still impresses today, I can’t say it much better than it says above, along with Mill village raid a bit later, a huge turning point in what es becoming a slightly stale formula in theme design
MMV easily got the win for this one, it's not even close. Consider the influence as a whole to the Lego community, MMV wins hands down. The Slave 1 is a good set don't get me wrong, but MMV is better than it in every single way plus the importance of it in the Castle line and almost one in a kind. Slave 1 is just another good UCS to me.
I put the Medieval Market!
CASTLE FANS LETS GOOOO!!!
MMV was breathtaking at the time, but time has not been to kind to it, newer techniques make it look a tad dated imo it has a beautiful colour scheme but it is of its time so Slave 1 for me.
Look, the UCS Slave I was my most wanted set for ages, and I wish I could've got one, but I mean... versus Medieval Market Village? MMV, no contest. It's just too iconic.
A lot of comments above: MMV is the best!
Me: seriously?!? It is (arguably) the best UCS set ever made, an amazing mixture between system and technic, a brilliantly printed Boba Fett and you choose some animals and a few peasants. You clearly don’t know you’re priorities (IMO).
Medieval Market gets my vote. I would love to own that set!
@Slobrojoe said:
"A lot of comments above: MMV is the best!
Me: seriously?!? It is (arguably) the best UCS set ever made, an amazing mixture between system and technic, a brilliantly printed Boba Fett and you choose some animals and a few peasants. You clearly don’t know you’re priorities (IMO)."
Ouch.
Medieval Market Village for me. Sadly I missed this set. I was just starting to collect Lego and the price tag at the time was out of my budget. Our local library used to have it on display in the kids area. I used to take my daughter over to go and look at it. So sad when they took it down.
Tough choice. Had to go with the Slave I. When I first saw images of the updated Boba Fett fig with printed arms, legs, and all the great detail, it was a must. I’ll never forget when I called my Lego Store Dec 31 asking if it was gonna be available Jan 1 and the guy said that I could go ahead and buy it a day early. Rushed down there as fast as I could. Couldn’t have been happier with the new Fett and great ship.
@Slobrojoe said:
"A lot of comments above: MMV is the best!
Me: seriously?!? It is (arguably) the best UCS set ever made, an amazing mixture between system and technic, a brilliantly printed Boba Fett and you choose some animals and a few peasants. You clearly don’t know you’re priorities (IMO)."
I applaud you, Slobrojoe. Seeing Slave I in Empire Strikes Back gives me chills every time.
I liked the Medieval Market Village so much that I bought two sets!
No question on this one. The previous two bouts, I dithered a bit before deciding. But this one is easy. We've had dozens of versions of the Slave I and will likely have more. But this is the first and pretty much only Castle Village. Plus cows and peasants. And a pleasant color scheme. Pretty good price. Nothing bad about the MMV... except it hasn't had a follow up lately.
I had a tough time here, since I personally prefer the MMV and its significance is nearly impossible to overstate - I wonder how many dark ages that set alone ended for people? But the premise of the question is "best set of the millennium (so far)" and based on that parameter, I feel like the Slave I's sophisticated build, shaping, and color blocking is phenomenal - and I'm not even a Star Wars fan. "Best set" is a nebulous idea that feels deliberately open for interpretation, but if I look at that to mean something along the lines of "best model" or "best build," then I have to vote for the Slave I.
@Slobrojoe said:
"A lot of comments above: MMV is the best!
Me: seriously?!? It is (arguably) the best UCS set ever made, an amazing mixture between system and technic, a brilliantly printed Boba Fett and you choose some animals and a few peasants. You clearly don’t know you’re priorities (IMO)."
This is a poor take. You're downplaying the appeal of the MMV to "some animals and a few peasants," which means you either didn't read anything at all in this post or comment section explaining the set's appeal and significance (less likely), or you're being deliberately disingenuous to make your point of view seem "obviously correct" (more likely). Throwing in a jab at the end about people having the wrong priorities is particularly egregious and unnecessary.
For me it's the toughest choice from all eight.
I think that people have put their finger on it. Yes, Slave I may be the best UCS (or whatever qualifies or doesn’t qualify as a UCS set) set ever made to date but this competition isn’t about the finding the best USC ever made!!!!
MMV is an amazing set. Such creativity, such humour, amazing details, amazing minifigures and animals, plus a beautiful display piece and a very rare set of its kind. No doubt the designer of Slave I did a great job using the Lego medium to represent the onscreen spaceship, but I have to go with original design model in MMV.
I bought MMV when I got back into Lego, and yes the Slave I is an excellent set, but MMV just represents something almost intangible - the point when you realised that Lego was serious about appealing to Afols, and they also created a damn good set into the bargain. It's the best Castle themed set by far, and deserves recognition.
Original, unique set with groundbreaking building techniques for its time and one of the earlier D2C sets, as well as one of the best sets of a now rarely visited original theme.
Or
Xth iteration of a vehicle with building techniques from a time where lego was already far ahead in detailed design, and one of the many D2C sets out at the time. One of the best sets of a strong ongoing licensed theme that has pushed away themes like space.
I mean, the Slave I is one of the best Star Wars sets. But is it as groundbreaking, unique or outstanding if you take away that it is a recognisable SW vehicle given the UCS treatment, a series that has been a thing since 2000? Not to mention the importance for the history of Lego?
Slave I might win if it was best SW set, but remember, this is for lego sets as a whole.
Sorry, but my vote goes to the MMV.
Good job on the reviews Mr_Cross and bumblepants!
This is the first bout that is actually a tough decision! I love Star Wars and think Slave 1 is a near perfect set, but the Market Village is so legendary!
I had to go for the Medieval Market Village.
MMV for me.
On a personal level it was a real turning point, coming at a time when I was only just back dabbling in Lego again. This set, along with the Emerald Night, sold me on Lego as an adult fan.
And that’s not discredit to Slave I, but I do just feel MMV has a much broader appeal.
I think I'm gonna have to sit out this poll. I can see merits to both sets, but I don't have a personal connection to either; and neither Slave I's complexity nor the Market Village's uniqueness are quite swaying me to either one of them over the other.
The village's build doesn't look especially complex, I can guess at it just by the picture, which slightly counts against it for me; but at the same time I have (and love) the 2006 Slave I and, even if this is much better than old 6209, don't want to preference it over the version of that ship that is much more special to me.
I've voted in the other three polls, but I'm gonna give this one a miss on the grounds of their most important merits being just too different for me to be able to pick one over the other.
I would trade my UCS slave for a medieval market village. Easy.
Whilst Star Wars is cool and the slave I is impressive in its build and design, the mmv is a white whale for me, barely emerging from my dark ages it was too expensive at the time to consider. Severely wish I had bought it now of course.
That Slave 1 is a really fun build, especially when compared to the old version (I had it when I was a boy and thought the old version was as amazing and detailed as the new version is now!).
They’re both great, but whenever I see the UCS Slave I, I kick myself for not getting it. Clearly one of the best UCS sets, but the Village is an excellent one too. Boy, these are tough.
SW fan all the way but while I own neither of the sets in question I have to give my vote to the Village here.
I kinda want the MMV now...so I can mow it down with my UCS Slave I!!!!!!!
Never watched Star Wars so maybe I'm a bit uninformed, but the Medieval Market Village is a truly glorious set. It should take the cake.
I wish I had the Medieval village but came out of my dark age after it had been released. What can you say about Slave 1 though that hasn't already been said. A masterpiece in the UCS landscape and easily IMO the best Star Wars set. Intricate detail, the 2nd baddest villian in the universe (can't beat DV) and a wonderful depiction of BF's craft. Love it!
Medieval Market Village. Remember it in the LEGO catalogs as a teen, but never got it. To me, it's among the list of sets that I view as being the most quintessential LEGO sets in existence.
Wow, this one is a tough call. Two of my favorites. Ultimately I had to go with the one I kept over the one I sold. It was still hard though. Both are great
MMV got me out of my dark ages. Easy one for me!
Very easy choice.... Wouldn't touch Star Wars with a barge pole!
I don’t have either, but I own two other Slave I’s and I must say it is one of the best Lego Star Wars ships out there. For that reason it gets my vote.
That was extremely tough. I own both sets, I'm a huge Castle fan but also a huge Star Wars fan and I have a small collection of the UCS sets. The Slave I is one of my favorite UCS sets that I own, perhaps second only to the TIE Fighter. On the other hand the Medieval Market Village is a truly amazing Castle set, one of my favorites as well. In the end I'm going with the Slave I by the narrowest of margins, I just love the design of the ship and it remains one of my favorite display pieces. I will be happy either way with the outcome of this one though.
@minicoopers11 said:
"MMV got me out of my dark ages. Easy one for me!"
Same for me! And not only that, it is just a fantastic set, there are no words enough to describe how fantastic it is... :-)